Dheeraj Sinha [Sinha - India Reloaded

Praise for the book

Indias diversity often conceals its underlying unity. Dheeraj unpeels the layers to reveal several unifying truths about Indias consumers than its diversity suggests. Truths that can make the difference between success and failure for marketers.This book needs to be on every brand managers desk.

Ranjan Kapur

Country Manager -WPP India

Segmentation discussions can get overly data based. In India Reloaded Dheeraj has segmented India without jargon, providing insights on attitudes and aspirations using illustrations from films and music. Read it for an understanding of consumer India.

Rajesh Jejurikar, President and Chief Executive, Farm Equipment and Two Wheelers, Mahindra & Mahindra

What can popular culture teach us about business? Everything. Dheeraj makes connections between seemingly disparate socio-cultural and political behaviour of India to explain its consumption culture. This is a must-have for successful businesses - the cultural compass of new India.

Nirvik Singh, Chairman & CEO - Asia Pacific, Grey Group

A fascinating journey into the soul of India. Sinhas original analysis of Indias consumer society will inspire innovative thinking in the boardrooms, as well as in the classrooms that are preparing future executives. A compelling and engaging read that uncovers the new reality of a fast- changing nation.

Glyn Atwal, Burgundy School of Business, France

Indias consumption landscape is complex and challenging. One half of consumers are still enjoying the democratisation of access that many brands brought in 20 years ago, while another half is dealing with the after effects of it. Western management thinking often attempts to break up the challenge into parts, into neat compartments to be addressed independently. This makes India look even more difficult market than it is. This book boldly attempts to bring it all together, to see it from an India lens, to see the one-ness in it. Practising Marketing managers will find this refreshing and I suspect, rather useful.

Dev Amritesh

President & Chief Operating Officer at Dunkin Donuts India

Dheeraj brings alive a new India, one that wants to live every moment as a spectacle. Contrary to the assumptions, Indias mass consumers want the latest in technology and life, and are eager to upgrade to new experiences. To woo this India, brands need to have a swagger themselves. India Reloaded cuts through the clichs around emerging markets its a refreshing take.

Frederique Covington-Corbett

Director, International Marketing, Twitter

Inside Indias Resurgent Consumer Market

Dheeraj Sinha

westland ltd

61, 2nd Floor, Silverline Building, Alapakkam Main Road, Maduravoyal, Chennai 600095

93, 1st Floor, Sham Lal Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi 110002

First published by westland ltd 2015

First e-book edition: 2015

Copyright Dheeraj Sinha 2015

All rights reserved

ISBN: 978-93-85152-25-2

Typeset by PrePSol Enterprises Pvt. Ltd.

Disclaimer

Due care and diligence has been taken while editing and printing the book. Neither the author, publisher, nor the printer of the book holds any responsibility for any mistake that may have crept in inadvertently. Westland Ltd, the Publisher and the printers will be free from any liability for damages and losses of any nature arising from or related to the content. All disputes are subject to the jurisdiction of competent courts in Chennai.

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, circulated, and no reproduction in any form, in whole or in part (except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews) may be made without written permission of the publishers.

To Valerie, Dhruva and Daksh

Contents

The Trap of Mass-Market Thinking:
Why Chasing a Billion is a Wrong Strategy

The Poor Want Purpose :
Why Marketing Needs to be Social in India

Safe Choices:
Why Do Indians Like Standing in the Longest Queues?

Many Indias Make One India :
How Indias Unity is More Useful than its Diversity

Success Overdrive :
Has the Success Narrative Been Overcooked?

Breaking Stereotypes :
Why Youth Marketing Needs to Go Beyond Risqu Content

Sexy Everything:
Seeking Titillation in Design, Tastes, and Experiences

Spruce up the Service :
Why Jugaad Is an Enemy of Good Service

New Pockets of Opportunity :
Looking beyond the Mainstream

Powered by People, not Policy:
What Makes Indias Growth Story
Sustainable?

Acknowledgements

You write your first book because you want to. You write your second book because others want you to. A big shout out to everyone who read my first book, Consumer India Inside the Indian Mind and Wallet and reached out in some way or the other. India Reloaded wouldnt have happened without the comments, feedback, encouragements and brickbats that I received for my first book. An author is incomplete without the reader, so thank you everyone who picked up Consumer India .

India Reloaded is a point-of-view on how the changing culture is shaping consumption in India. Any opinion such as this is a function of several interactions with colleagues, clients and friends over a period of time. I thank all my colleagues and clients who have helped shape my worldview. Special thanks to all the planners who I have worked with directly as a part of my teamAbhishek Chaturvedi, Soumitra Patnekar, Sonya Misquita, Ajay Ravindran, Ankit Singh, Abhijit Das, Archana Ashokkumar, Basheera Indorewala, Sajju Ambat, Khushnuma Daruwala, Jasmeeta Agarwal, Jayati Mazumdar, Devang Raiyani and Sumant Bhattacharya.

Suresh Nair, Global Chief Strategy Officer, Grey for his support to the book and all my endeavors. Nirvik Singh, Chairman & CEO Asia Pacific, Grey for backing the book and my initiatives. My colleagues at Grey India, current and past Sunil Lulla, Sujit Sen, Malvika Mehra and Amit Akali for their support and everything that I learnt while interacting with them. Huma Qureshi for all the support with media and public relations. Shaila Shah for making sure that everything else in my life ran smoothly.

Thanks are due to Rajesh Jejurikar, Dev Amritesh, Ranjan Kapur, Frederique Covington-Corbett and Glyn Atwal for their time and patience in reviewing the book and their kind words of endorsement. Thanks to my publishers at WestlandPaul Vinay Kumar for starting it and Karthik Venkatesh for seeing the book through its several stages. Krishna Nair for all the marketing support and Gautam Padmanabhan for keeping an overall eye on the project.

My respect to my parents for the life and grounding that they gave mekeeping me close to the roots. To my parents-in-law and their constant support. Valerie, my wife who put up with my long stints of travel during the week and my writing schedule during the weekend. She is also the first reviewer of the book and all other elements around it. Dhruva, our 10-year-old son, who kept a hawk eye on my progress, counting the number of chapters I finished in every sitting. He obviously thought I could be faster. And Daksh, our eight-month-old son who was delivered almost the same time that I delivered the manuscript of India Reloaded . I owe this to all of you.

Foreword

I left India many moons ago. But every time I am back in India, either for work or personal reasons, I am amazed at how much has changed, and indeed how much hasnt. Indias growth and momentum has made its presence felt in in global geopolitics and boardrooms. When Time magazine turns to President Obama to write the introduction for Prime Minister Modi as a Time 100 global leader (April 2015), we know we are not in Kansas anymore! Indeed, India is very much present in the global marketing ambitions of most corporations. But India isnt an easy cup of tea.